What are the precautions for raising pheasants in winter?
The pheasant, also known as the common pheasant, rainbow pheasant, mountain pheasant, etc., is a valuable wild game bird that combines meat, ornamental and medicinal uses: Food value: pheasant meat is tender and delicious, with a strong game flavor; its protein content is as high as 40%, 2.5 times that of ordinary chicken and pork, and its fat content is only 0.9%, which is 1/45 of pork, 1/10 of beef, and 1/15 of chicken. It basically contains no cholesterol and is a high-protein, low-fat wild game food. The pheasant's feathers are distinctive and can also be made into feather fans, feather pictures, toys and other handicrafts. When winter temperatures drop, there are many precautions to take when raising pheasants, and if these are not done well, they will bring huge losses to the farm. So what precautions should be taken when raising pheasants in winter?
Let us next look at which aspects need attention on a winter pheasant farm:
One: In winter, pay attention to increasing the humidity in the pheasant house: the relative humidity should preferably be 60%-70%. Higher humidity is conducive to the survival and reproduction of microorganisms, and if accompanied by low temperatures it will aggravate the harm of low temperature. Low humidity makes the chicken house dry and easily induces respiratory diseases in chickens, especially since chicks kept in a dry environment for a long time can suffer dehydration and weakness. Therefore, attention must be paid to adjusting the humidity of the chicken house. In winter the litter is relatively dry, so it should be regularly sprinkled with water or sprayed for disinfection.
Two: Disinfect the winter pheasant farm regularly: in winter the resistance of the chickens generally weakens, and if disinfection is neglected, it can very easily lead to outbreaks and spread of disease. In winter chicken raising, use the method of drinking water disinfection, that is, add disinfectant to the drinking water in the required proportion (such as Baidusha, Qiangli Xiaoduling, sodium hypochlorite, Weidao disinfectant, etc.), once a week is enough. For the floor of the chicken house, dry powder disinfectants such as white lime and Qiangli Xiaoduling can be sprayed for disinfection, 1-2 times a week is more suitable.
Three: In winter, pay attention to reducing stress: pheasants are timid and easily frightened, and every winter, especially during the Spring Festival period, there is more noise from outside. If strong sounds occur outside, such as the sound of firecrackers during festivals, harsh gongs and drums, etc., the keepers should enter the chicken house in time to give the chickens a sense of security that “the owner is right there”, and also turn on the lights to prevent the chickens from being frightened in the dark and dying from collisions. A suitable amount of multivitamins or anti-stress drugs can also be added to the feed or drinking water to prevent and reduce losses caused by stress reactions.
Four: In winter, pay attention to eliminating enemies: in winter, rats, weasels and the like often gather in the chicken house to steal feed, bite and damage equipment, and even spread epidemic diseases or bite and kill chickens, or cause stress reactions in the chickens, so every possible method should be used to drive out and destroy these enemies.
Five: In winter, appropriately increase the energy for pheasants: chickens obtain heat energy by eating feed to maintain body temperature, and the lower the outside temperature, the more heat energy the chickens consume to resist the cold. In winter, the chickens' feed must ensure sufficient energy; in addition to ensuring a certain proportion of protein, high-energy feed containing more starch and sugars should be appropriately increased to meet the physiological and production needs of the chickens.
Heat preservation methods for winter pheasant farming
When winter arrives, the biggest problem facing pheasant farming is temperature control. How can farms preserve heat in winter? Farms generally use the following heat preservation methods: One: coal stove heating; Two: flue heating; Three: heat preservation lamp heating; Four: heat preservation umbrella heating. Among these, coal stove heating is the simplest and also the lowest in cost. But coal stove heat preservation is most prone to safety accidents, and every winter the farming industry has cases of gas poisoning from coal stoves causing casualties among people and livestock on farms. The pheasant farming technology website once again reminds farmers across the country that winter farm heat preservation must pay attention to safe production, check whether wires are aging, and check whether coal stoves and pipes are leaking gas. Ensure that the air inlet windows of the brooding room are unobstructed and that air circulates. Below we introduce several heat preservation methods for pheasant farms:
One: Coal stove heat preservation: The size and number of coal stoves used depend on the area of the pheasant house. Usually one coal stove is used per 1000 chickens. The coal stove must be connected to a seamless smoke pipe to discharge the generated carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide outside the house. Pay attention to air circulation to prevent gas poisoning. In addition, coal stove heating causes dry air and a lot of dust, so humidity needs to be appropriately increased.
Two: Flue heating: Build a flue on the ground with bricks, and the arrangement depends on the building; one end of the flue connects to the stove, and the other end connects to the outdoor chimney; the inlet of the flue should have a larger diameter, and it should gradually become smaller toward the smoke outlet; the smoke inlet should be slightly lower, and the smoke outlet should gradually rise as the flue extends, so as to facilitate the circulation of warm air and smoke exhaust and prevent backflow of smoke. Usage notes: keep indoor air circulating; flue heating has a relatively low cost, is simple to operate, and provides stable temperature, but the flue easily leaks gas and causes gas poisoning in the flock, so check the flue regularly.
Three: Heat preservation lamp heating: generally choose a 250-watt infrared bulb and hang the bulb 35-40 cm above the ground. It is generally used in summer, autumn and spring, and is generally not recommended in winter. Advantages: the chicken house is clean, the temperature is stable, heating is fast, and management is convenient; the flock can freely choose to move farther from or closer to the bulb according to need. Disadvantages: the bulb's heat preservation capacity is limited; and the bulb is relatively expensive, consumes a lot of electricity, and has relatively high costs.
Four: Heat preservation umbrella heating: Heat preservation umbrellas are sold on the market and are made of iron sheet, aluminum sheet or wooden boards, as well as added fabric. Heat is supplied by the electric heating wire or electric heating plate installed inside the umbrella, and the umbrella also contains an ether expansion cake and a microwave switch forming a temperature control device. Adjust the knob according to the required temperature to control the temperature; before use, the temperature control regulator must be calibrated with a standard thermometer to ensure correct temperature control. Advantages: temperature adjustment is easy, management is convenient, and the heating effect is relatively good. Disadvantages: the early-stage equipment cost is relatively high, and the electricity consumption is lower than heat preservation lamp heating, and the effect is also better than heat preservation lamps.
For winter pheasant farming heat preservation, safe production comes first; pay attention to checking for hidden dangers. According to the scale of farming, reasonably choose and improve heating equipment.